VanOrden, 33, says he's been working in the industry in Denver for several years, but saw a chance to return to where he was born and raised. He hopes to set Elevations apart from other dispensaries, something VanOrden says he's very familiar with.

"I went all over Colorado," he says. "I kind of do things a little bit differently than a lot of people have, in my opinion. ... I'm not the shop on Platte that has one guy working that doesn't really know what he's talking about. I always have two to four staff members that are all really knowledgeable on the products they're trying to get rid of."

The main focus is bringing in lots of different high-quality strains from lots of different growers in a classy environment.

VanOrden says he has some 40 strains now, ranging in cost from $122 to $230 per ounce, with some 10 or 15 being described as "premium-premium." He says he's also stocking a large variety of concentrates from companies like Viola Extracts, Green Dot Labs, Mahatma Concentrates and others.

First-time members can get 25 percent off their first purchase, while VanOrden has something for those new to the whole thing.

"One thing I'm kind of doing that's a little unique is if you've never had your card before, I'll give you a packet, a bunch of doctors you can go to," he says. "And what I'll do — there's some laws I have to follow that won't let me pay for your card — but what I do is I offer, if you're a first-time cardholder, the first three months I'll give you a $25 coupon each month that you can use, that'll basically pay for your card after three months."

The grand opening runs from 2 to 6 p.m. and includes food, drink, music and giveaways.

Keef crumbs

• A year into the opening of its retail outlets, the state of Washington has roughly 160 recreational-marijuana stores selling around $1.4 million in marijuana per day, the Associated Press reports. The combined first-year taxes were over $70 million, as opposed to Colorado's first-year $44 million.

"Nobody's counting on the revenue from cannabis sales to save us, but it has an impact," the AP quoted Vermont state senator David Zuckerman as saying. Vermont is considered a likely candidate for cannabis legalization. "The more important thing is that the sky didn't fall in Colorado. The tidal wave hasn't hit Seattle. They're showing us that this can be done."

• As of July 1, a new state law took effect banning home hash-oil extractions using flammable liquids or compressed gases. Those so charged face a Class 2 drug felony.